This parshah begins with the fascinating account of Yakov's encounter with the angels and the Gates of the Heavens. What can we learn from this about our own role in serving Hashem and appreciating the environments He creates for us? How are we Hashem's angels in this world?

How should we look at our development over different periods of our lives? And when we want to evaluate our lives, what is the most important commodity to focus on? What makes the most difference in the final analysis?

The first posuk of this parsha teaches an important lesson about getting back to our essence, and reaching out to Hashem for personal guidance to have the confidence to follow Him even if it means bucking the majority and making major changes.

What do we learn about trusting Hashem through this parsha, and how does it relate to how we respond to events like the current war and, in general, planning for the future?

This year, we have to evaluate not only if we have to repent for specific negative actions, but also for the attitudes that resulted in those actions. Because even if it's hard to identify specific acts we did wrong, or even after we have made amends for the specific actions, it may be that the attitudes which caused the actions could themselves be considered on the level of transgressions.